BEREA, Ohio – Fullback Owen Marecic spent the first three days of Browns training camp idling among a cluster of players during first- and second-team 11-on-11 drills.

Like a telephone book publisher in the age of iPhones, Marecic knows the service he provides is no longer in high demand. Such is the evolution of the NFL game with its increased emphasis on spread offenses, shotgun formations and versatile tight ends.

Many of the Browns training-camp reps have featured one-back sets. When they employ a second back it’s often Christian Ogbonnaya, who’s no one’s definition of a fullback. Tight end Gary Barnidge also is seeing time as an H-back.

“It’s an exciting time in the NFL,” he said. “Now, more than ever you have to be able to do more than one thing. A lot of what the game comes down to is matchups. I don’t want to say it’s position-less, but if a guy can play a lot of positions within one position -- if that make sense -- he’s going to contribute a lot more.”

Marecic’s disappointing play last season – he fell out of favor with the previous coaching staff and earned just 115 snaps – makes him a possible roster casualty. But the role of many fullbacks is diminishing league wide. The Baltimore Ravens unloaded Vonta Leach, a three-time All Pro, and his $3 million salary in June. Lawrence Vickers, who preceded Marecic in Cleveland, was released by the Dallas Cowboys earlier this month.

While Marecic contends the position has not been devalued, USA Today’s Tom Pelissero noted that just eight NFL fullbacks now earn over $1 million. ESPN’s John Clayton observed the average fullback salary of $1.1 million is less than that of kickers and punters and on the level of veteran long snappers. Leach will sign somewhere, but probably at a reduced rate.

“Both Leach and Vickers are tremendous fullbacks,” Marecic said. “And guys would look to them and say, ‘If I could play like that it would be awesome.’”

The game has transformed dramatically since the bruising likes of Larry Csonka, John Riggins and Mike Pruitt recorded 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Marecic has four carries for eight yards in his two-year Browns’ career.

How much have times changed? The Pittsburgh Steelers went about three seasons without a fullback on the roster toward the end of the last decade. Their current one, Will Johnson, is a converted tight end and his role could decrease if the Steelers rely more on zone-blocking schemes.

As the presence of fullbacks wane, teams are making greater use of tight ends – lining them up in the slot and the backfield. Their hybrid value is reflective in escalating salaries. Before Aaron Hernandez was charged with murder, he and Rob Gronkowski were due a combined $16 million this season.

Barnidge and Brad Smelley are Browns’ tight ends who could see time at the H-back position. The club also recently signed fullback Brock Bolen, who’s nursing a calf injury.

Browns offensive coordinator Norv Turner has coordinated fullback-friendly offenses over the years, but it’s too early to tell what place they might play in Cleveland.

“We've used a variety of different styles of fullback and have been very productive, and I can go all the way back into the mid-(1990s) where we had a converted tailback playing fullback with the (Washington) Redskins and Terry Allen rushed for 1,500 yards,” Turner said.

“We're going to make due. We're going to take the guys that we have and find out what they do best and give them a chance to do that. I believe we will end up with a traditional fullback in our offense and how much we'll use him will depend on the style of offense we end up running.”

Marecic, who’s due $657,000 this season according to spotrac,com, hopes he gets another shot at blocking for Trent Richardson. He might need a big camp just to make the club, however. He’s working on his pass catching – he dropped four of five balls intended for him last season – and trying to make himself more versatile.

“The more a guy can do, the greater his value to the team will be,” Marecic said.

But in an era of three-receiver, multi-tight-end formations Marecic realizes evolution is not on the side of the fullback.

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